


Slow Ride

by Aria_Lerendeair



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF!Dean, BAMF!Gabriel, Brotherly Bonding, Car Sex, Cas and Sam give Dean a wake up call, Dean Doesn't Like Sastiel, Dean-levels of angst, Explicit Sex, Gabriel helps him deal, Loki!Gabriel, M/M, drinking away problems, hot car sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 03:05:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5611480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean might get a little (a little) angry when he finds out that Sam and Cas are together.  Not because he doesn’t want them together, he just isn’t sure it’s a good idea for either of them with their respective track records.  Gabriel takes him out to a diner to have pie and to cool off.  The trips with Gabriel become a habit.  Something he gets used to.  When Sam suggests that maybe things between him and Gabriel are developing into something more, well…Dean puts his foot in his mouth and has to fix his mistake before Gabriel decides never go show up again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> THE ART IS AMAAAAAAAAAZING, AND I LOVE IT (CAUSE MANIPS TAKE SUCH AMAZING SKILLS) AND EMMA WAS SO AWESOME TO WORK WITH AND GAH. PERFECTION! 
> 
> Link to Art: http://emmatheslayer.livejournal.com/268361.html

 

Gabriel ignored the look from Dean as he walked past the couch and headed for the kitchen. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Doctor Sexy. Dean would likely finish making whatever it was in there and come glare at him to see if he would move away from the TV so he could have it. Would that happen? No, no it wouldn’t, but Dean did seem to enjoy trying.

 

“Why are you in my house?”

 

Gabriel tilted his head back to stare at Dean. “Because I do so _love_ irritating the piss out of you with nothing but my mere presence.”

 

Dean snorted. “Get out.”

 

Gabriel held up a finger. “Cas doesn’t want me to leave. In fact, I’m pretty sure he wants the exact opposite.”

 

Dean started to say something, but stopped when Gabriel started to raise a slow eyebrow. He snapped his mouth shut and glared at Gabriel. Fucking bastard had him. Cas had been so hesitant about even wanting to stay after everything that had happened with Gadreel and he wasn’t about to do anything that might jeopardize that.

 

Gabriel snorted and then tilted his head, turning towards the library. “Huh. About time.”

 

Dean wanted to ignore it. He did. He didn’t need to say anything. Gabriel was just trying to get a rise out of him, like always. He didn’t need to say a single fucking word. He turned towards the library and raised an eyebrow. “What are you looking at?”

 

Gabriel turned towards Dean and frowned, before turning back to Doctor Sexy. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Dean-o.”

 

Dean scowled and stood up, stomping towards the doorway of the library. “Fuck if I’m gonna let you tell me what I do and don’t need to concern myself with.”

 

He could feel Gabriel’s eyes on him as he turned the corner and stared. Sam and Cas, leaning into each other. Fucking kissing! “What the fuck is going on here?!”

 

In an instant, they had separated, both of them looking shocked and guilty. Dean crossed his arms over his chest and glared at them. “What the fuck did you think you were doing Cas!”

 

“Dean-”

 

Dean held up a finger and glared at Sam. “Don’t even. I’ll get to you in a minute!” he growled, turning to stare at Cas. “With my fucking brother, Cas?! You had to go after Sam?!”

 

“Dean, you are overreacting, Sam and I-”

 

“Don’t tell me when I’m over-reacting!” Dean snarled and turned to Sam. “And you! Didn’t you learn your fucking lesson with-”

 

A loud snap echoed in the room. “Thaaaaat’s enough of that,” Gabriel said, walking past Dean, where he was frozen in place. He turned to face Dean and raised an eyebrow at him. “Alright, you and I need to go have a big people conversation about this, since you seem to be determined to act like a child. Sam, Cas, feel free to continue what you were doing while I drag this jackass away.”

 

Gabriel snapped again and smiled as they appeared in a diner where Dean had had some of the best pie in his life. He held up his hand and stared at Dean. “Are you done having your temper tantrum?” Dean only glowered at him and Gabriel settled back in the seat.

 

“You remember this place. Little diner off the beaten track in Arizona. Had the best apple pie you’ve had in the past decade. You’ve tried to find this place a couple of times since you went through Nebraska, if I remember right?” Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

More glowering. How boring, Dean-o definitely needed to get himself a new look. This one was going to get old very quickly. “Fine, I guess that I will just get my own and you can watch me eat this pie.”

 

The glower softened, just a little bit, and Dean’s eyes moved. Gabriel held his hand up to snap and raised an eyebrow. “Ready to play nice?” Dean wasn’t, not by a long shot, but at the very least he wasn’t going to start screaming the second that he snapped. He undid the spell holding Dean still and watched him take a very slow and deep breath.

 

“You ever, _ever-_ ”

 

“Skip the threats. You know they’re pointless, and I want pie,” Gabriel said, perking up when a waitress started making her way over to them.

 

Dean huffed and smiled charmingly at the waitress. “Hey darlin’,” he drawled, watching her smile widen a little further. “I’d love a piece of fresh apple pie if you have any.”

 

“Fresh, and the best in the tri-state area,” she said, winking as she leaned in towards him a little. “Anything else?”

 

Gabriel watched Dean order a black coffee and he smiled when the waitress turned to him, ordering two pieces of pie and a large sweet tea. He waited for her to walk away again before turning to Dean.

 

"So are you going to tell me what the hell that reaction was about? Did you really not see them coming, Dean-o? From a mile away?" Gabriel asked, raising his eyebrow.

 

"Sam does not have any sort of a good track record when it comes to this sort of shit, and Cas-"

 

"Dean," Gabriel interrupted. "It's none of your damn business unless you want either of them for yourself. Even then it's not your business, but I could at least understand the reaction. What's really going on?"

 

Dean frowned at Gabriel. "How the hell are you so calm about this!"

 

Gabriel shrugged, "No risk of Nephilim. Cas and I are genderless. Do you think it matters? If Sam makes Cassie happy, that boy deserves it. He's earned it, even. Why would I get in the way?" He stared at Dean. "Other than the obvious brotherly ribbing, of course."

 

"He's a human!" Dean hissed.

 

"Your point?" Gabriel asked. "Again, do you really think that matters to us? Because it doesn't. At all."

 

Gabriel waited for the next objection, but it didn't seem to be coming. He smiled a little and settled back in the seat. "I think they both deserve some happiness after everything they have been through. If they found it with each other, Dean, why do you care?"

 

Dean scowled and ignored Gabriel until the waitress came bustling back to their table, her hips swaying under her dress. He dropped his eyes low and then up again, smiling at her when she raised both of her eyebrows and gave him a smirk. He knew that look.

 

Gabriel rolled his eyes and started to dig into the pie that she offered to him, smiling widely. Dean apparently knew his pie, not that he’d doubted that, because this was fucking delicious. When she had left, he pointed his fork at Dean. “Let me just make something very, very clear to you. I don’t give a rats ass if they are together, but if you go down the same line you were about to, comparing Cas to Ruby, I’ll trap you in the body of a chihuahua and leave you there.”

 

Dean choked on his sip of coffee and glared at him, but Gabriel only smiled, raising his eyebrows. “I’m not kidding, Deanster. Leave them alone.”

 

“I’ll leave them alone,” Dean muttered. “But I still don’t think this is a good idea.”

 

“What, the fact that the two people you care about most in the world found something with each other?” Gabriel asked.

 

“Exactly,” Dean said, rolling his eyes. “Now, if anything happens to them, and say they break up, what’s going to happen then, huh?”

 

Gabriel took another large bite of his pie and pointed his fork at Dean again. “Or you could look at this in a more positive light. This means that Sam is going to have his own personal angel-on-his shoulder. Cas is going to protect him and will be with him, death and beyond. No human can promise that, Dean.”

 

“Is that supposed to comfort me?” Dean snapped, glancing around to make sure that no one could hear him.

 

“Yes, actually,” Gabriel said, sipping at his sweet tea. “Quite a bit, in fact. Considering Castiel fought through the depths of Hell to drag you out again, and moved heaven and earth to make sure that the both of you are safe and survived the impossible when he himself did not, I would say he has proven himself worthy of Sam.”

 

Dean scowled and took a big bite of his pie, swallowing it down. He closed his eyes for a moment. Fuck, he’d forgotten how good this pie was. “That still-”

 

“In fact, speaking big brother to big brother, I would say that Sam has far more to do to prove himself to Cas-”

 

“Saving the world wasn’t enough?” Dean growled. “Throwing himself into the cage with both of your older, dickbag brothers?”

 

Gabriel tilted his head and stared at Dean. “Your brother did that to save humanity. Not to save Castiel. You have taught my brother much, but when you weigh what he has done for you both against what you have given him, one side is distinctly lacking.”

 

Dean squirmed uncomfortably and Gabriel wanted to press forward, to push. But his goal was not to make Dean hate him, and pushing him any further would result in some sort of animosity, whether he wanted it to or not. Gabriel sipped his sweet tea again.

 

“Go with her, I’m not planning on going anywhere,” Gabriel said as Dean finished the last of the pie and glanced to the waitress again. His smile widened into a smirk and Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I’ll give you a ride back to the bunker, and burning off some steam will absolutely do you good.”

 

Dean rolled his eyes and stood up, heading over towards the waitress. In a few minutes, they were heading to the back of the building. Gabriel watched them go and sipped his tea slowly. A half hour later, Dean was coming back, a certain sway to his hips, and a cocksure smirk on his lips.

 

“Ready to go Dean-o?”

 

Dean snorted. “I hate flying angel air,” he grumbled, standing up.

 

Gabriel grinned and smirked at Dean. “That’s because Cas doesn’t know how to carry someone else when he’s flying. No fault of his own, he just never played around with things like that as much as Balthy and I did. Guarantee you, you won’t feel a thing when you get back.”

 

Gabriel waited patiently for Dean to finish up with the waitress (Meredith, not that Dean had bothered to find that out) as he paid their bill. He stepped outside and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I’ll make you a deal, Dean. No strings attached.”

 

“Those don’t exist,” Dean said, eyeing Gabriel.

 

“They do when they’re coming from an archangel.” Dean gave him an uncomfortable look, and Gabriel smiled, big and wide. “Now, here’s the deal. Any time Cas and Sam are doing the thing and you need to get out of there, I’ll take you. Fly you anywhere you want. We’ll eat lunch, dinner, midnight pie. You can have your fun, burn off some steam, and we can go back.”

 

“And what do you get out of this deal?” Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Damn good pie,” Gabriel said.

 

Dean scowled and stared at Gabriel. He didn’t really have a way to see if Gabriel was telling the truth or not. No good way, anyway. “All right, fine. But I’ve got a condition of my own.”

 

Gabriel laughed. “Of course you do.”

 

“Sometimes we drive,” Dean said, crossing his arms over his chest, staring at Gabriel.

 

Gabriel blinked. Of all the possible conditions he had thought Dean would toss his way, he hadn’t been expecting that particular one. “Drive?”

 

“Yeah,” Dean said. “I’ll take you these places. But we’re going my way sometimes, not just angel air. Deal?”

 

Gabriel tapped a finger on his chin and stared at Dean. “Deal.”

 

In an instant, they were back at the bunker. Sam and Cas were sitting together, side by side at the table in the center room, their hands clasped tightly together.

 

Dean rolled his eyes. “Both of you stop looking like you’re going to the gallows. I cooled off.” He walked past them and into the kitchen. “I’m going to start dinner. Sam, what do you want?”

 

Sam blinked a few times and stood up to follow Dean into the kitchen.

 

Castiel turned to Gabriel, who was standing on the other side of the table. “What did you say to him, Gabriel? Did you threaten him?”

 

Gabriel snorted. “Nah. Dean doesn’t respond well to those, and I don’t feel like babysitting him every single time he says something that’s going to set you or Sam off. Instead, I told him the truth.”

 

“The truth. What truth, Gabriel?” Castiel asked, staring at his brother.

 

Gabriel turned to Castiel and smiled at him. “That you care for Sam, and that if you were willing to fight through Hell to rescue Dean, what lengths would you be willing to go for to protect Sam. He cooled down after that.”

 

Castiel stared at his brother for a long moment. “Thank you, Gabriel.”

 

“You don’t need to thank me, baby bro. I’ll handle Dean-o when he gets all twitchy around the two of you. We’ve got a deal. I can’t promise he won’t blow up sometimes, but I’ll help keep them to a minimum,” Gabriel said, heading over to the couch, Doctor Sexy appearing on the TV a moment later.

 

“That will require a large amount of time to be spent here, Gabriel,” Castiel said, staring at him.

 

“Yeah, well, I like you schmucks. Might as well stick around,” Gabriel said.

 

Castiel stared at his brother curiously. There was more to it than just that. He would need to pay more attention.

 

“Stop staring a hole in me and come watch Doctor Sexy already,” Gabriel ordered.

 

“I prefer the Discovery Channel,” Castiel said.

 

“Too bad! I’ve got the remote,” Gabriel said, pressing a button gleefully as he settled back into the couch.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

It certainly didn’t take Dean long to run into another situation where he needed to get the hell out of there before he ended up decapitating someone. Gabriel blinked at the bellow of his name that came echoing across his mind and snapped himself to Dean’s side in a second.

 

Dean was red in the face, his arms crossed over his chest and Gabriel took one look at him and whisked him away to his favorite barbecue place in Georgia. The second they were away from the bunker, Dean took a deep breath and relaxed.

 

“What the hell happened, did you walk in on them?” Gabriel asked, leading the way to the restaurant.

 

“Yes,” Dean growled.

 

Gabriel raised both his eyebrows and whistled. “Damn! Sammy boy moves fast. Wouldn’t have pegged him as able to get Cas in bed that quick.”

 

Dean cringed and shook his head vehemently. “No, no, no, just, fuck, no! _Not_ them having sex!”

 

Gabriel tilted his head and stared at Dean.   “Then what the hell were they doing?”

 

“Nothing,” Dean said, running his hand through his hair, striding past Gabriel and into the restaurant.

 

Gabriel followed after Dean and reached out to Castiel to make sure that he and Sam were all right. He touched Cas gently, briefly and found them curled on the couch, sharing gentle and soft kisses. _Right_. No wonder Dean had freaked the fuck out.

 

Castiel reached out a moment later and Gabriel let him know that all was well, and that he’d make sure Dean cooled down before they headed home. Gabriel followed Dean into the restaurant and settled into the booth across from him and kicked Dean to get his attention.

 

Dean glared at him and Gabriel rolled his eyes as he picked up the menu. “So what’s good here?”

 

“Everything,” Dean grumbled, reaching for his own menu. “Haven’t had a bad meal here and we ate at this place every other day for almost a week. Sam’s on their wall of fame for demolishing two racks of their ribs,” he said, pointing over to the wall.

 

Gabriel burst out laughing as he looked over at the picture of Sam and Dean, arms slung around each other’s shoulders, Sam’s hands raised in victory. “When was that?”

 

Dean hummed, a smile starting. “Almost, shit, ten, eleven years ago? Before, before, fuck, _everything_. Just the two of us, the Impala, this job…”

 

He sounded wistful. Gabriel watched Dean stare at the picture for several more moments before turning back to the table. He tapped his fingers on the hard, polished wood. “You think he could still demolish off two full racks of ribs?”

 

Dean laughed, tilting his head back. “I had to bet him twenty bucks that he couldn’t do it back then. Even if he could, he wouldn’t want to. He’d have heartburn for days.”

 

Gabriel gave a small pleased smile as the tension Dean had been carrying started to melt away from him. He looked towards the kitchen door and didn’t bother with a snap. A few moments later, a curvy waitress started making her way towards them with a bright smile. Gabriel watched Dean perk up even further and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Dean was nothing if not predictable in his needs.

 

Gabriel pigged (heh, pigged) out on the ribs, though he didn’t bother trying to make the wall of fame next to Sam and Dean. Dean, as soon as he got food and a beer in front of him, relaxed all of the way and began flirting with their waitress in earnest.

 

At least this one didn’t roll over for Dean right away. A little challenge was good for the soul. On the other hand, Dean was worth just strolling straight into the sack with, so he could definitely see the appeal. Gabriel took a long sip of his tea and settled back into the booth.

 

Might as well take his time since Dean was going to be a little bit. As the waitress walked towards them with the check, Gabriel snapped, drawing Dean’s attention. He smirked. “Impala’s in the parking lot. If you wanted somewhere to go.”

 

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes. “She’s a classy chick.”

 

Gabriel picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth again. “She might be classy, but she’s a sucker for a muscle car. Now take her out and show off your baby.”

 

Dean wanted to say something back to him, Gabriel could tell. Instead, he waved at Dean and sent him on his way. Dean left to flirt with the waitress at the register before slowly leading her out to the Impala.

 

Gabriel blew out a breath and closed his eyes, grinning. Might as well enjoy this while it lasted.

 

When Dean came back, holding the keys in his hands, Gabriel opened his eyes, giving him a lazy grin. “Let me guess. You want to take the long way back?”

 

“You got it, Feathers. That a problem with you?”

 

Gabriel slid out of the booth and stretched, heading outside. “I’m going to air out your car via magic and you’re going to deal with it.”

 

Dean laughed, long and hard and Gabriel glanced over his shoulder, pleased. Any of the darkness that had been lingering around Dean was gone now.

 

“Might also want to tell your brother that we’ll be back in a few days, rather than a few minutes like he was expecting,” Gabriel said, leaning against the passenger seat.

 

Dean made a sound of agreement and pulled out his phone, calling Sam a second later. Gabriel could see he was a little irritated when Sam didn’t pick up, but he left a message saying they were taking the long way back. “Really will be long, we’re driving from Georgia.”

 

Gabriel snorted and climbed into the car. “I’ll survive, I’m sure.”

 

Dean eyed Gabriel. “You’re not going to bitch about the car being ‘confining’ are you?”

 

Gabriel laughed and settled into the front seat, stretching out. “Let me guess, something Cas said?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“That’s because Cassie is still learning how to deal with being squished in general,” Gabriel said, yawning. “Imagine being the size of the Chrysler building, being stuffed into a meatsuit the size he’s wearing, _then_ being put into what is pretty much a metal death trap.”

 

Dean winced. “Point taken. So, how big are you?”

 

Gabriel waited only a beat before he burst out laughing. “Jesus, are you trying to outdo me on the terrible jokes, Winchester?”

 

Dean laughed and settled into the front seat, turning the key and revving the engine. “Maybe. We’ll see how many more I can get out before we get back.”

 

Gabriel shook his head and snapped up a Snickers, and taking a nice large bite.

 

“You leave candy wrappers in my car and I will fucking stab you,” Dean growled.

 

Gabriel made sure Dean was watching when he bunched up the Snickers wrapper and let it fall to the seat. It sat between them for a long, silent moment before Dean gave a long sigh.

 

“I fucking hate you,” he said.

 

Gabriel gave Dean his best kissy face. “I love you too, snookums. Now drive.”

 

 

~!~

 

 

The drive wasn’t nearly as awful as Gabriel had expected. Dean was tense for the first twenty miles or so, but afterward, he relaxed into a clear rhythm and headspace. Gabriel let his mind and Grace drift as highways flew by. Dean never needed to consult a map, he knew, without a doubt, exactly where they were going.

 

It was far more pleasant than he would have expected. Dean did control the music, and grumbled whenever Gabriel snapped to change the song, but Gabriel only changed it to another by the same band, so Dean was relatively quiet about the grumbling.

 

By the time they got home again, Dean was far more calm and relaxed, and was joking and teasing Sam the second they were in the bunker. Gabriel made sure Dean was settled before taking off. No point in overstaying his welcome. No one wanted that, and he knew better than to try and get attached.

 

 

 

~!~!~

 

 

 

The next time, it wasn’t Dean who called him for a getaway, it was Sam. Sam, who sounded frantic and angry.

 

Gabriel appeared a moment later in the middle of a very, very tense room, where Sam and Cas were standing together on one side and Dean was on the other, clearly furious. “Well, kiddos, exactly what did I interrupt here?”

 

“Nothing!” Dean snarled, turning and stomping towards the garage.

 

Gabriel raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Sam and Cas. “That’s one hell of a nothing. What happened?”

 

Sam exhaled and pushed his fingers through his hair. “I asked him if we could have the bunker to ourselves tonight.”

 

“RIght, I’m guessing that went over like a lead balloon.”

 

“Worse, really,” Sam said, glancing at Cas. “Can you, uh, help?”

 

Gabriel snorted and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Of course I can. I’ll take Dean-o out for a drive. I’ll keep him out for the night. You kids enjoy. And Sam-” Gabriel paused and looked over his shoulder.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Treat my brother right,” Gabriel said, letting the ‘or else’ hang in the air as implied. He snapped himself into the garage and in front of Dean.

 

“Get the hell out of my way!” Dean shouted, stomping around Gabriel.

 

Gabriel sighed and stared at Dean. “You are in no condition to drive your car right now. You’ll do damage to her, angry as you are.”

 

“Don’t you try to tell me when I can or cannot drive my own fucking car!”

 

“Well, you certainly aren’t in any place to be able to do so!” Gabriel shot back, raising his hand and snapping.

 

Dean spun around and stared at the pristine garage before turning to glare at Gabriel. “Where the fuck are we?!”

 

Gabriel put his hands into his pockets and wandered towards a black ferrari. “Germany. I own this place. We’re going driving on the Autobahn. This stretch is deserted for about sixty miles or so. So you’re going to use and abuse my car and get some of that out of your system.”

 

He held up a finger before Dean could interrupt. “And, if you manage to get some of that tension worked out, then, I might show you my own baby. _Might_.” Gabriel watched Dean immediately relax a fraction before nodding.

 

“Good. Now, pick a car, I don’t give a shit what we go driving in,” Gabriel ordered.

 

Dean took a moment to consider before selecting the black ferrari right next to them. Gabriel smiled and slid into the front seat, buckling himself in. Dean got settled in a moment later and Gabriel watched as he took the time to get to know the car before he started her up.

 

“You really do love cars, don’t you?” Gabriel asked, watching as Dean took a deep breath and settled in, his hand dropping to the stick.

 

“Yeah.”

 

Gabriel pointed to the garage door. “Take a left coming out of the garage. You’ll see the signs for the Autobahn. Follow them, then tear it up. Don’t worry about hurting her. She’s almost brand new and needs to stretch her legs.”

 

Dean followed his instructions to the letter (and hell if that didn’t give him _ideas_ ), and the second they hit the autobahn, his foot was down on the throttle.

 

Gabriel watched the blackness and self-hate collecting in Dean’s soul start to melt away the faster and harder he pushed the car. It was a very poor (yet accurate) metaphor for how Dean felt about himself. When they hit the end of the sixty mile stretch, Gabriel watched Dean slam on the breaks and stare out at the road, panting and breathing hard.

 

“How did you know?” Dean asked, his voice hoarse.

 

“Know what?” Gabriel asked, studying the human. Dean looked almost on the verge of crying, his soul breaking apart at the edges.

 

“How did you know that this was what I needed?”

 

Gabriel hummed and shook his head. “I didn’t know. I took a guess, based on what I know about you, and the fact that you headed for the garage.”

 

Dean scowled and pressed his head against the steering wheel. “You read my mind, didn’t you?”

 

“No,” Gabriel said. “Did I look at your body language, the look on your face, the way you shouted at me, and where you were heading to make a very accurate and educated guess as to what you needed? _Yes_.”

 

“I fucking hate you,” Dean growled, turning the car in the other direction and starting to drive it back towards the garage at a much more sedate pace.

 

“No, you don’t, and maybe that is part of the problem. You want to hate me, and I get that, but you’re finding it hard now, aren’t you?”

 

“Stop reading my fucking mind!” Dean snarled.

 

“I’m not!” Gabriel snapped, glaring at the stubborn human. “You know what an angel reading your mind feels like. You know what the touch of Grace feels like!”

 

Dean gripped the wheel harder and the speedometer started to increase. “Fuck off!”

 

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Stupid fucking human. Drive until you’re tired, I’m going back to the garage.” He snapped himself away and took a deep breath once he was in there. He uncovered his baby and opened the hood, trailing his fingers over her. He understood why Dean loved his car so much.

 

It was more than an hour before Gabriel heard the sound of the ferrari pulling into the garage. He wiped his hands off on a rag and closed the hood of his car, leaning against it to face Dean.

 

Dean parked the car and climbed out. Gabriel watched as he walked closer, his eyes taking in the grease that was on his hands and the car he was standing next to.

 

“This yours? Fifty-five Buick Special? Cherry red?”

 

“Yes,” Gabriel said, raising an eyebrow at Dean. He gestured towards his car and watched Dean walk closer.

 

“Can we not talk about our fucking feelings? I get enough of that from Sam and now Cas has started trying to do the same thing,” Dean said, opening the hood and staring inside. He smiled and reached out to run his fingers over the engine and along the other parts of the car.

 

Gabriel hummed. “I’ll drop it, but you’re not going to get Sam to let it go after a reaction like you had.”

 

Dean sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. “I know. Believe me I fucking know.”

 

“So?” Gabriel asked.

 

“So what?”

 

“Don’t play dumb with me, Winchester. What caused the meltdown?”

 

Dean frowned and leaned into the car, tightening one of the spark plugs before glancing over his shoulder at Gabriel. “Nothing.”

 

“That’s one hell of a nothing to have had a reaction like that. You going to keep lying to me?” Gabriel asked, pushing his hands into his pockets.

 

“Yep!” Dean said, pulling out of Gabriel’s car and replacing the roof. “What’s her name?”

 

Gabriel stared at Dean for a long moment. “Her name is Lola.”

 

Dean looked at Gabriel and raised an eyebrow. “Fancy.”

 

“Mmmhmm,” Gabriel said, running his hand along the hood. “I suppose it is.”

 

“So who was Lola?” Dean asked.

 

“Ask me sometime when you aren’t deflecting me from your own issues, Winchester. Maybe I’ll tell you,” Gabriel said, holding out his hand. “How does greasy bar food sound to you?”

 

“Like fucking _heaven_ ,” Dean growled.

 

A moment later, Gabriel snapped them to one of Dean’s favorite bars in Arizona. Dean lit up the second he recognized the place and sauntered in. It was a bar hunters were known to gather in from time to time.

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

With a quick look, there was a new bartender in place, and slightly altered memories for everyone attending. Dean needed one last thing if he was going to properly relax. Gabriel waved Dean away from him as he headed for the bar to sip a beer. The last thing Dean needed was a bunch of other hunters seeing a decided non-human hanging around.

 

He snorted and glanced around the room again. At least ten other hunters in the room, though they’d dismissed him soon after entering, which was usual for anyone who didn’t have a clue as to what he was. Gabriel waved the bartender over and ordered a beer for Dean and himself, gesturing over to the human so she could send his beer to him.

 

Gabriel kept an eye on Dean as the tension slowly started to fade from him as he spoke with the other hunters. Dean made up a quick lie about hunting a nest of chupacabra a little south of the border, and they were on their way back up north.

 

The hunters bought the lie without question and Gabriel raised his beer in a toast when they looked over at him. Apparently he’d passed muster as a hunter. He snorted and waved at the bartender again, ordering a Sex on the Beach. He might be able to pass as a hunter, but drinking beer got old so very quickly.

 

He sipped happily at his drink while Dean made the rounds, played a game of pool that won him twenty bucks and a hearty slap on the back. Gabriel kept an eye on Dean, but the darkness was slowly starting to fade away from him. Camaraderie always did that for humans. Someone to speak and relate to, no matter the subject.

 

When Dean made it up to the bar, his beer clearly empty and needing another, Gabriel waved him towards the bartender. “We have a tab, go ahead and order whatever you want,” he said.

 

“What about you?”

 

Gabriel raised an eyebrow and stared at Dean. “What about me?”

 

“You’re just going to sit here?” Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Yep,” Gabriel said, popping the ‘p’ and grinning as Dean winced. It was worth it to see him cringe and glare in his direction.

 

“Right. Well, if you start feeling tricky, take it the fuck out of this bar,” Dean growled, stalking back towards the pool table.

 

Gabriel didn’t feel at all bad about laughing at Dean as he walked away towards the other hunters again. Dean-o deserved it after that comment. But at least this way Dean would not feel like he was being babysat. Which he absolutely needed, not that he would ever admit it.

 

He pulled out a phone and started playing with it. He might have been feeling a little ‘tricksy’ long before Dean mentioned it, and taking out some of his frustrations on assholes sounded like just what he needed. Gabriel could hear Dean laughing and chatting with the others, with the bartender. She was going to be right up Dean’s alley.

 

“You’re not human, are you?”

 

Gabriel looked up from his phone and at the older man standing beside him. He tapped at his phone again and turned it off a moment later. “Put the knife away, it’s going to do nothing more than embarrass you if you stab me with it,” he said, leaning on his elbow to stare at the hunter. The man twitched, but slid the knife back into the sheath he was wearing.

 

“What are you?”

 

Gabriel hummed and considered answering that question. He glanced to Dean and then back to the hunter. “Old, human. Very old. Old enough that you should listen to me when I tell you that it would be best to forget you saw me.”

 

The hunter raised an eyebrow. “Dragon? You ain’t a demon, your eyes didn’t flash when you walked through the door.”

 

This time Gabriel did laugh and he could feel Dean looking at him. “No, not a dragon, and no, absolutely not a demon.” He tapped at his chin. “I’ve been many things, never just one. But there’s only one hunter here that knows what I am and how to kill me, and that’s the one I walked in with. If you know him and trust his reputation, then rest assured, I won’t harm any of you.” Gabriel narrowed his eyes at the hunter. “Unless you deserve it, of course.”

 

That at least earned him a quick and ruthless smile and Gabriel knew the man had gotten the hint. Tricksters definitely weren’t a dime a dozen, but they weren’t unheard of in the supernatural community either. Wouldn’t surprise him if the hunter put two and two together. The man started to walk away and Gabriel leaned back in his chair.

 

“Stephen,” he called, watching the hunter flinch. “What gave me away?”

 

“No one keeps their breathing that steady when they’re drinking. You’re good, but not perfect.”

 

Gabriel laughed and raised his drink in salute to the hunter before settling into his seat. Dean was by his side a moment later. Gabriel finished off his Sex on the Beach and ordered a Screaming Orgasm, just to watch Dean’s eyebrows raise the smallest bit. “What’s up, Deanster? Everything all hunky-dory with your pals?”

 

“What’d you tell him?” Dean asked, moving in closer to Gabriel so his lips couldn’t be read by the hunters.

 

“That I’m a Trickster, and that you know how to kill me if you are so inclined,” Gabriel said, winking at the bartender when she dropped off his new drink. “He backed off immediately. He trusts you, and that you know what you’re doing. Go play pool, get laid. I’m not going to stir up any trouble tonight.”

 

Dean gave him a long, hard look and Gabriel waited him out. It took drinking half of his new drink, but eventually the hunter wandered off towards the others. Gabriel watched him go for a moment before turning back to his phone. Dean was flirting with the bartender in earnest. Wouldn’t take him long now.

 

Twenty minutes later, she and Dean were heading to the back room in the bar. Dean’s soul was brighter, more relaxed, but hadn’t reached his normal levels of brightness. He was subdued and fuck if Gabriel knew exactly what he needed to fix it.

 

For right now, at least, this solution worked. Dean spent the rest of the evening with the other hunters and Gabriel made a note to have him show up at this bar far more often. Gabriel finished off the last of his drink and picked up his phone again.

 

 

 

 

~!~!~!~

 

 

 

Dean popped back into the bunker with Gabriel, mid-laugh. Sam looked up at his brother and raised an eyebrow. Dean had certainly been laughing a hell of a lot more with Gabriel around. Gone were the silent glowers and anger. He certainly didn’t have any lost love for Gabriel, but the blood oath Gabriel had sworn to both he and Dean in front of Cas about no more deadly pranks on the two of them had gone a long way to repairing things.

 

Of course, that still meant that every once in awhile, salt ended up in the sugar packets, or the reverse, but it was harmless fun. They hadn’t quite managed to get Gabriel back with a proper prank yet, but Castiel had offered up a handful of ideas to the both of them.

 

Sam glanced up at Dean and Gabriel again, still chatting about whatever place Gabriel had taken them. He studied his brother’s face. It’d been a long time since he’d seen a relaxed expression on Dean like that. Hell, if he didn’t know better, he’d almost say that Dean looked interested in Gabriel.

 

He shook his head and focused on the book in front of him. He was seeing things. He needed to focus.

 

“You aren’t seeing things,” Castiel said, his voice soft.

 

Sam glanced at Cas out of the corner of his eye, waiting until Dean and Gabriel had moved to the couch in front of the TV before he answered. “You know I don’t like it when you read my mind Cas,” he said.

 

“I am not reading your mind, merely your facial expressions. I have promised never to read your mind without your consent, Sam, and I will not break that promise,” Castiel said, reaching out to squeeze Sam’s forearm gently. “You know that.”

 

Sam pushed his fingers through his hair and sighed. “I do know that, I’m sorry. I just, I don’t know what Dean’s getting into with Gabriel. He’ll deny it forever, but, I know that expression. I know it, Cas. I’ve seen it before.”

 

Castiel smiled and leaned in closer to Sam, lifting his hand slowly for a gentle kiss to the back of it. “My brother will not do anything cruel to him. I can guarantee you that much. Perhaps they just need to find their own way.”

 

Sam nodded and turned back to the book they were working on translating. “Knowing Dean, the way is going to involve a hell of a lot of denial.”

 

“Well, if there is one thing I believe we can both agree on, it is that Gabriel does not lack the ability to be blunt when he wants something,” Castiel said.

 

Sam laughed and picked up his pencil again, pointing out where they had been in the translating of the book. “That’s for sure. Maybe Gabriel will knock some sense into Dean.”

 

“Perhaps,” Castiel said with a smile, squeezing Sam’s hand between them again before turning back to the book and their notes.

 

 

~!~

 

 

While Gabriel had done wonders for making sure there weren’t on-going shouting matches in the bunker, every once in awhile they did happen. Castiel followed the sound of the brothers shouting and sighed. Gabriel had left for a day, citing important trickster business to attend to, and Dean had been irritable all day.

 

He should have known that this would have happened, and suggested one of Dean’s traditional remedies. Perhaps a drive, or something of the equivalent.

 

“-you’re the one banging an angel! Suddenly I’m supposed to take your advice on love?!”

 

“Yes!” Sam snapped, stepping closer. “Maybe if you did take my advice, you’d notice what’s in front of your damn face and stop denying it to yourself!”

 

Castiel frowned and turned the corner to the library. Both of the brothers were standing close, their full attention upon the other. Neither of them had noticed Gabriel’s quiet presence in a dark corner.

 

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Dean growled. “Right in front of my face?”

 

Sam sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. “Look, Dean. I love Cas. I _love_ him, and that’s not going to fucking change. Yes, things are going to be different and you’re going to have to get used to that. If you removed your head from your ass, you would see how fucking easy that would be!”

 

“Sam, stop talking in fucking circles,” Dean said.

 

“Gabriel!” Sam snapped. “Gabriel, Dean.”

 

Dean blinked and frowned. “What about Gabriel?”

 

Castiel glanced towards his brother and noticed him stiffen a little. He frowned. Gabriel had noted his presence, but all of his attention was trained on Dean, his eyes glowing a fraction with restrained Grace.

 

“How about the fact that you’re more than halfway to in love with him, Dean!” Sam shouted. “I know what you look like when you’re in love and no matter how you try to hide it, you’re fucking gone for the guy!”

 

Dean froze for a moment before laughing, shaking his head. “Sammy, I have no idea where you get this shit. In love with Gabriel? I mean, sure, I tolerate the midget, but fuck, he’s just giving me something to do while you and Cas do your shit around here.”

 

Castiel watched Gabriel’s Grace visibly flinch and retreat deep into his vessel. He stepped forward to stop the argument before more damage could be done, but Gabriel was already striding forward, his hands in his pockets.

 

“Well, don’t I feel the love, Dean-o? Guess I don’t need to keep hanging around if you’re merely ‘tolerating’ me,” Gabriel said, rocking back on his heels.

 

Castiel felt Gabriel brush against his Grace as he disappeared, a simple order to call him if he was needed. He could also feel the pain that Gabriel was trying to hide deep within himself, and only barely succeeding. He turned to Dean and caught a glimpse of a hurt expression before Dean was hiding it from Sam.

 

“Dean-”

 

“Fuck off, Sam,” Dean snarled, stomping past Sam and the concerned face that Castiel was giving him. He didn’t need any of it. He was only tolerating Gabriel while Sam and Cas worked through, whatever the fuck their thing was. He didn’t need, or fucking _want_ Gabriel around more than he had to be.

 

Castiel appeared next to him as he was grabbing the keys. “Where are you going, Dean?”

 

Dean looked up and glared at Castiel. “Somewhere that is not here, with the pitying looks from you and Sam! I don’t fucking need them, or Gabriel, and-”

 

“Very well, Dean. Drive safe. If you need me, you have my phone number,” Castiel said.

 

Dean tightened his hand around the keys and watched Castiel disappear a moment later. He wanted to punch the damn wall, but driving with a broken hand wasn’t really something that he could to deal with when he was this angry.

 

Fuck them. Fuck all of them. He just needed to get out and away from the happy fucking couple so he could breathe and not feel so suffocated. Dean made it to the Impala, barely, and threw himself into the front seat. He waited for twenty seconds before he realized that there wasn’t going to be anyone sliding into the front seat with him.

 

He made an angry growl and gunned it out of the driveway, heading for the highway.

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

Dean drove until his eyes were burning and found a hotel to pull over and crash at. He ordered two queens before he thought about it and did punch the wall this time when he realized it.

 

Fuck Cas and Gabriel, and their knowing looks. He needed to get out, do a fucking hunt, and get laid, in that order.

 

Four newspapers later, he was on the trail of a werewolf in Minnesota, and headed up north. He ignored the three phone calls from Sam and the one worried call and voicemail from Cas. He just needed to get this out of his system.

 

Dean ignored how often he looked over to the passenger seat, ready to bitch at Gabriel for the candy wrappers. Gabriel wasn't there. He wasn't going to be there, ever again. He'd made sure of that.

 

He tightened his hands on the wheels and headed up north. He sent Sam a text letting him know he was going to take the long way back to the bunker. Dean ignored the tight feeling in his chest and found a motel to hole up in for the two days before the full moon.

 

He ordered one king size bed, and the second he was in the room, he turned around and switched it back. Some shit just felt wrong and this was one of them. Dean got the silver bullets out and loaded up his gun.

 

In the meantime, he could do something about that getting laid thing. He headed for the nearest bar and ordered a beer, settling down at the bar. He surveyed the women in the bar and frowned a bit.

 

"Slim pickings tonight by the looks of things," he said, looking over his shoulder, to where Gabriel was most definitely _not_ sitting. He tightened his hand on the bottle. **_Fuck._** Sam and Cas were wrong. _Wrong_. He was absolutely not in love with Gabriel. Not even remotely in love with the bastard. He couldn’t love anyone. He’d learned that the hard way, a dozen times over. Better for him to remain alone, with Sam and Cas.

 

Except, Sam and Cas were now ‘Sam and Cas’ together. And he was still, well, him.

 

Dean downed the rest of the beer and waved the bartender over. She raised an eyebrow at him, but he shook his head and grinned at her. “I am in need of something a lot stronger. Care to oblige?”

 

“With the drink, sure,” she said, leaning closer. “But as for what you’re implying, hun, I know heartbreak when I see it. I’m not going to be your rebound. Not tonight. Drink, and I’ll make sure you get home safe.”

 

Dean stared at her in shock as she offered him a bottle of whiskey and a glass before moving to the other end of the bar. _Fuck_. Apparently nothing was going his way tonight. And he was not absolutely nowhere in the realm of heartbreak. People were fucking blind and didn’t know what they were talking about.

 

He still wasn’t sure how he ended up getting home that night, but by the time he woke up, with a splitting headache, he was glad that he had one more day before the full moon.

 

Dean let himself lay in bed until ten in the morning before he dug out some ibuprofen and went in search of coffee. He found it, and made his way back to the hotel to pack up for the evening. A good hunt, a proper hunt of a werewolf. That’s all he needed, and he’d work the rest of this out of his system.

 

This, whatever the fuck it was. He just needed to snap out of it.

 

 

~!~

 

 

Dean leapt over another downed tree and cursed as the werewolf crashed through the trees behind him. He dodged around another tree and changed direction, waiting to take another shot at the damn thing. It let out a loud cry, and then started charging towards him again.

 

“Fuck!” he swore, turning around to start booking it again. He’d hit it, but apparently it had silver-resistant fur or some shit like that. _Fuck_!

 

Dean didn’t see the root sticking up from the ground until his foot caught on it and he went tumbling. He scrambled to his feet, spinning around and away from the wolf he could hear right behind him when sharp claws ripped through his shirts and down his back.

 

Fire erupted down his back and he fumbled his grip on the gun. He cursed, trying to curl away from the werewolf again when a loud snap echoed in the woods and everything froze. He was frozen, almost a foot above the ground, his back still on fire, and the gun slippery in his hand.

 

A small sigh sounded from beside him and Dean struggled against the invisible force holding him still. The gun was taken away from him, and two shots fired, before it was placed on the ground in front of him. Then a gentle hand brushed against his back and the fire faded. Dean wanted to scowl, but he knew the touch of Grace, of what a healing felt like. This was different from Cas. This felt, felt deeper and almost gentler.

 

There was only one being it could be, and he hadn’t said a word. Gabriel had to have been following him, especially for him to have shown up like this, and fuck if Dean knew how he felt about that.

 

Another snap and the forest disappeared. Instead, he was standing in the bunker, the gun on the ground in front of him. If he looked, he was almost positive that the Impala would be in the garage, safe and sound. Dean punched the ground angrily, cursing Gabriel again. He didn’t need meddling archangels saving his life like this!

 

“Dean?”

 

Dean looked up at Sam and Cas, who were staring at him with wide eyes. He stood up and could feel the large rip in the back of his shirt. His shirt was also almost entirely coated in blood. He shook his head and walked past them towards his room. He’s too fucking exhausted to deal with any of it, with all of it.

 

Gabriel had saved him, protected him, all without saying a word. What the fuck did that mean?!

 

He locked his bedroom door behind him and stripped off his bloody shirt and jeans before falling to the bed. He just needed to sleep. Sleep for as long as he could get away with, then he needed to make the greasiest burger he could cook, a fucking strong cup of coffee, and he would feel normal again. He would. He fucking had to.

 

 

~!~

 

 

Instead of the nightmares, or the usual dead sleep of the exhausted, Dean dreamt. He didn’t dream often, if ever. But tonight was determined to be a night of nothing but exceptions.

 

It took him a moment to place the woman in front of him, but once he did, he grinned, bright and wide. It was the waitress from that first restaurant in Nebraska that Gabriel had taken him to. He watched the rest of the memory play out, chuckling as he flirted heavily with her and walked towards the back of the diner.

 

He wasn’t expecting to see her eyes flash gold as she looked back at him and batted her eyelashes. He blinked in surprise as the rest of the dream faded. He knew that shade of gold. Knew it as well as his own eye color, almost.

 

One by one, the rest of the women he had slept with on his outings as Gabriel appeared in front of him in the dream. If this even was a dream and not a manipulation from Gabriel himself. Every single one of them had the same flash of golden color. Which meant that they weren’t, that they hadn’t been real. None of them had. They’d all been Gabriel. Gabriel, who had to be playing some sort of trick on him, because there was no other explanation for it. Fucking _bastard_. Of course he wouldn’t keep that promise, and not fuck with them. Gabriel had been fucking with him, with his head, this whole damn time.

 

By the time he woke up, Dean felt like he hadn’t slept for more than five minutes. He was exhausted and angry and he needed to figure out what the fuck it was that Gabriel was up to, and it needed to happen now. Castiel’s eyes widened when they saw him, and so did Sam’s, but they both obeyed the order to take the Impala and to go have a date day and night, or whatever bullshit they wanted to do as long as it got them the hell out of the bunker.

 

He opened a bottle of whiskey, because fuck if he was going to attempt to have this conversation sober. That just wasn’t going to happen. He took several quick gulps and then several more. By the time he was halfway through the bottle, he was damn good and drunk.

 

“Gabriel!” he shouted. “Gabriel, you fucker, get the hell down here! I’m sick and tired of your games, and I want you to get down here and tell me what the fuck your game is!”

 

Silence in the bunker had him getting even angrier and Dean picked up a glass to throw and thought the better of it. He didn’t need Sam asking what had happened and why there was glass all over the floor. “Gabriel!!” Still nothing.

 

“Is it my turn!?” Dean asked, spinning around and taking another sip from the bottle. “Is that what this bullshit is? My fucking turn? So you’ll fuck with me until I go mad? Tell me you fucking coward!”

 

Gabriel walked forward out of the shadows, his hands in his pockets. “Is that what you think, Dean? That I’m fucking with you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“I don’t know what you’re doing!” Dean shouted, spinning to glare at Gabriel.

 

Gabriel smirked. “I don’t fuck with people without a reason, Dean. So what’s my reason? Tell me, since you are so certain I’m doing this with something in mind.”

 

Dean scoffed. “I have no idea, maybe just sick fucking enjoyment at seeing me suffer.”

 

Gabriel barked out a laugh and walked closer. “No. Come on now, Dean,” he said, stalking closer until he was in Dean’s space and forcing him backward. “Think. I teach _lessons_. My tricks are tricks for a reason. I fuck with people for a _reason_. What reason do I have to fuck with you?”

 

“I don’t know!” Dean shouted, reaching up to tug on his hair. He reached for the bottle, only to find it empty. He scowled at it.

 

Gabriel walked in closer to Dean and forced him back and against the table. “Maybe that’s because I’m not fucking with you,” he growled, raising an eyebrow at Dean as he flushed.

 

Dean snarled as Gabriel disappeared. He sank back against the couch and scowled, rubbing a hand over his face. Fucker had a point. Gabriel did fuck with people for a reason, almost selectively. Which meant that he either had a reason...or Gabriel wasn’t fucking with him.

 

He dropped the bottle to the floor and leaned back against the couch.

 

Fuck Gabriel and his fucking knowing smirk.

 

He’d figure out what Gabriel was up to. He _would_.

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

Dean came up with a brilliant plan. He was a fucking genius, it was fact. He just needed to make sure Gabriel didn't end up murdering him after this, because he would most definitely deserve a little smiting. Maybe he could make sure Cas covered his ass.

 

Dean took a deep breath and lit the mistletoe on fire, throwing it into the center of the circle of holy oil. Loki appeared a moment later and Dean threw the lighter down afterward, lighting the oil, until Loki was trapped.

 

He stared at the Trickster in front of him. The summoning had been for Loki, not for Gabriel, and looking at the being in front of him, he could see all Trickster and no Archangel. Well, fuck, that meant he had got the one he wanted then. If there was a part of Gabriel that was playing a trick, it was this one, and now he just needed some answers. Some proper fucking answers.

 

"Well, well. Here I thought we had moved past the holy fire stage of our relationship."

 

Dean scoffed and rolled his eyes, glaring at Gabriel. Or Loki, fuck. This creature didn't move anything like Gabriel, pacing slowly around the circle of fire and making sure that every single inch of the circle was covered. He swallowed and waited for the golden eyes to snap to him again.

 

"So, are you going to tell me why you have summoned me? Or are you just going to stand there and stare at me, because I'm going to get bored very fucking quickly if that is the case."

 

Dean took a deep breath and stared at Loki. He needed answers and he needed them fucking now. He was tired of being fucked with, both figuratively and literally. And if any part of Gabriel was going to give him an answer, it was going to be the Trickster piece. "I need answers."

 

"To what? Life? The universe? Let me tell you, the answer is forty-fucking-two and I would love to know what the question is, so don't even bother asking me," Loki said, narrowing his eyes at Dean. "You are going to need to be far more specific, so try."

 

Dean growled and stalked closer until he was at the edge of the flames and tossed Loki a handful of candy bars he all knew were Gabriel's favorites. The Trickster took them and stared at them for a moment before looking back up, his gaze assessing.

 

Dean cleared his throat. "An offering. For my question."

 

"Well, well," Loki drawled, staring at Dean. "Look at you doing this all properly. I never would have imagined that you would try to do this right. All right," he said, opening a Snickers and disappearing the rest of the candy with a snap. "I'll bite. What is your question?"

 

"I want to know what kind of a game you are playing. Because I'm tired of it," Dean said, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

"A game, hm?" Loki said, pacing slowly around the wide circle, eyeing Dean up and down. "You are certain that I am playing a game with you?"

 

"I know you're fucking with me, and I'm tired of it and I want to know why/what you are doing," Dean snapped, glaring at Loki.

 

Loki hummed and took a bite of the candy bar. "What if I am not playing a game with you?"

 

Dean scoffed. "I don't fucking believe that."

 

"Perhaps that is the problem in the first place," Loki said, tapping his chin. "You do not believe Gabriel and you don't believe me either. The question becomes who are you going to believe. Or what, perhaps."

 

"Stop speaking in riddles!" Dean shouted. His head was pounding. Fuck, it hurt. He needed straight answers. He needed them, fucking now, so he could know exactly where he stood with the Archangel, or Trickster. "Was it my turn to be fucked with? You got Sam in Mystery Spot and now it's my turn? Is that how this works?"

 

Loki stared at Dean for a long moment. "Ask Sam."

 

"What?" Dean said, stopping to stare at Loki. "Sam? Why the fuck would I ask Sam?"

 

"Because he has the answer you are looking for and will be able to articulate it," Loki said with a shrug, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

 

"Why can't you just tell me?" Dean asked.

 

"Because you won't believe my answer, even if I give it to you. You will believe Sam."

 

Dean took a deep breath and stared at the archangel. "Are you seriously fucking telling me that I need to go to my brother and ask him if you are fucking with me?"

 

Loki laughed, spinning around in a slow circle to stare at Dean. "He would know, considering I have fucked with him before. Speaking from personal experience, you might say. Maybe then you will believe that I'm not fucking with you."

 

"Then what are you doing?"

 

Loki considered that question, halting all movement, before standing in the middle of the circle, staring at Dean for a long, long moment. Dean shifted under his gaze and Loki cleared his throat, watching Dean's eyes snap to his. "Ask Sam."

 

"Ask him what?" Dean shouted, clenching his fists. Why did Sam have all of the fucking answers? Why did he need to go to Sam, why the fuck couldn't Gabriel or Loki just tell him this himself?

 

"Ask him what I am doing. Why I am doing it. He'll understand. He does understand. He'll be able to explain," Loki said, looking down at the ring of fire, raising his hand to snap. "Now release me. I answered your question, responding to your payment."

 

"I still have questions!" Dean said, stepping closer to the edge.

 

Loki stalked forward until he was standing at the edge of the flames, glaring at Dean. "There are forces at work here far deeper than you and I, Dean Winchester. You summoned me as a Pagan God, offered me tribute and I have fulfilled that tribute. Keep me trapped here and you will feel my wrath."

 

Dean swallowed. There was nothing left of Gabriel in the being that stared at him right now. Gabriel was pagan, down to his very core, and he had no doubt that that promise would be kept if he pushed any further on it. "Fine."

 

He scuffed his foot along the line of holy oil, breaking the circle. A moment later, Loki was gone. Dean sighed and put out the rest of the fire, staring at the charred ground for a long moment. Ask Sam. That was what he needed to do. Ask Sam questions that he didn't even understand and he was pretty sure that Sam was going to mock him forever.

 

But fuck, if it got him _answers_ , it might just be worth it.

 

Dean pushed his fingers through his hair and tugged on the strands for a long moment. He needed a drink, a good night’s rest and then likely a few more drinks before he even attempted to have this conversation with Sam.

 

 

~!~

 

 

Dean found Sam in the library, because when push came to shove, that's where he almost always found Sam, whether he wanted to or not. That's where Sam tended to be when he needed some time to himself, or just something to fill the hours in his day at all.

 

"We need to talk," Dean said, sitting into the chair across from Sam, putting the bottle of whiskey on the table in front of them. "I asked Cas to leave us alone for a few hours."

 

Sam froze and looked up from his book slowly. "Is everything alright?"

 

"I fucking hate chick flick stuff," Dean grumbled, taking a quick swig of the whiskey. "But we need to talk, because I need answers and I'm not going to get it unless you and I start to talk."

 

"Answers," Sam echoed. "What exactly does that mean and what do you need answers to?"

 

Dean sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. "So I fucked up. You know it, I know it, we all fucking know it, and no one is shocked by any of this," Dean said, glad that Sam didn't bother saying anything, only kept staring at him in surprise and confusion. Not really surprising, considering.

 

He took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. "Look. What did it feel like when Loki was fucking with you?"

 

"You mean Gab-"

 

"No, I mean when the Trickster was fucking with you. In Mystery Spot. What did it feel like?" Dean asked.

 

Sam pursed his lips together and frowned at the book in front of him. "I don't understand your question. Gabriel and Loki are the same thing. They aren't different-"

 

"Yes they are," Dean interrupted. "Gabriel doesn't act or move like the Trickster you and I first met and you know it. This is all about the Trickster. Loki. How did it feel when he was playing tricks on you?"

 

"Cruel," Sam said, running his fingers over the edges of the book. "Cruel and heartless. He wanted to teach a lesson, and I understand that, now, anyways. But it was heartless. Painful, too."

 

Dean frowned and wrapped his hand around the bottle of whiskey. Gabriel's voice echoed in his mind "I fuck with people for a REASON". He sighed and took another sip. Always for a reason, and if Gabriel hadn't been cruel or heartless with him, then what did that mean?

 

"Dean?" Sam asked.

 

Dean opened his eyes and forced himself to look at Sam. Sam looked upset and almost concerned for him. Fuck, he must look like a total mess if he was getting looks like that from Sam. He needed to get his shit together already. "Yeah?"

 

"Why are you asking me about the Trickster?"

 

"He told me to," Dean said, without really thinking about it. "I summoned him. Loki, that is. Not Gabriel. I needed to talk to him. I think he's fucking with me."

 

Sam nodded slowly and tapped on the book. "Okay. So you think the Trickster is fucking with you. I get that. How bad is it? Like, is it something you need my help on? Cas' help? Are you trapped in some world?"

 

Dean opened his mouth to explain exactly what it was that Gabriel had done to him and found himself completely unable to explain. He sighed a little bit. "No. Nothing like that."

 

"What then?"

 

Dean gave a frustrated sigh. "He's, pranking me, I think. On our trips. Not like the shit he does around here now, just to remind us that he likes fucking with us. But like, different types of fucking with."

 

Sam tilted his head to the side. "Dean, spit it out."

 

"He's creating the waitresses and bartenders I've been fucking. In fact, I think it might be HIM that I've been, screwing," Dean said, clenching his teeth together.

 

Sam burst out laughing for a quick moment. "Are you fucking serious?"

 

"Yes I'm fucking serious!" Dean snapped. "And I can't figure out why the hell he wants to do it. There's no lesson in him doing something like that, it doesn't make any sense, so maybe it means he isn't fucking with me, but I don't get why he would do that _either_."

 

Sam stared at Dean. "Oh Dean, do you really not get it?"

 

Dean scowled. "Obviously not, since I am risking this fucking conversation to try and get some answers out of you, but if you are going to be as cryptic as he is, I'm just going to fuck off and forget this ever happened."

 

"What else did he tell you?"

 

"He said that you'd know. That you'd know what he's doing and why he's doing it," Dean said, clenching his hands into fists. He didn't like the implication that there was something that Sam knew about Gabriel that he didn't and for the life of him, he could not figure out exactly what that was. It was driving him nuts.

 

He took a deep, slow breath. "Dean, I don't know what Gabriel thinks that I know, but I'm not keeping anything from you, at all."

 

Dean sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. "Fuck, that's what I was afraid of. Because I thought that that might be the case."

 

"I believe Gabriel intends for you to speak to Sam about the past, Dean. Not about the current. Sam was very like Gabriel in his behavior at some points in his life," Castiel said.

 

Dean and Sam both turned to Cas, confused.

 

"What?" Sam asked.

 

"Yeah, what he said," Dean added, glancing from Sam to Cas. "When the hell was Sam ever like Gabriel?"

 

"He ran away from home, because he couldn't bear to see his family fighting. He found another life of his own. Made it his. Was dragged back into the life, almost against his will," Castiel offered up.

 

Sam swallowed hard and stared at Cas. He'd never thought about it like that. _Jesus_.

 

"Sam knows what it is like to find himself finding a place in a life that he didn't want, but that he made his again. Perhaps that is what Gabriel is wishing for him to explain," Castiel said, sitting into the seat besides Sam.

 

Dean put the bottle down with a firm thunk on the table and stared at it. He clenched his eyes shut. "I don't fucking get it. Gabriel wants us to rehash this pain? All over again? Are you fucking serious? I don't have the time for it!" He snapped.

 

"Dean," Sam interrupted, his voice soft. "Maybe we don't need to make this one painful."

 

Dean closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine. You want to talk about how you left Dad and I for Jess? And that you only picked up hunting again because you wanted revenge? And that the hunting life made sure you can never go back and have a normal life again?"

 

Sam stared at Dean and chewed on his lip for a long moment before replying. "Is that what you think happened, Dean? That Jess died, and I stuck with you because I had nowhere else to go?"

 

"I know for a fact that you had nowhere else to go Sammy," Dean snapped.

 

Sam sighed and settled back in his chair. "Fuck, okay, let's clear this up right now. I'm here because I want to be here."

 

Dean gave Sam a skeptical look. "Right, uh-huh."

 

"Dean," Sam said, his voice patient. "If you think, for a single second, if I wanted to, that I wouldn't have created a completely new identity for myself, and walked the hell out that door, you don't know me at all. And since you know me better than anyone else in the world, you know that if I'd really wanted to, I would have walked away already."

 

Dean was silent, staring at the bottle in front of them.

 

"I want to be here. I want to be hunting with you. You were right. The life would have found me again, whether I wanted it to or not. I definitely could have done without Jess dying. She didn't deserve that, but Dean," Sam said, reaching out for the bottle and taking a swig. "Don't think for a single second that I don't want to be here."

 

Dean took a deep breath and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Sammy, you've said yourself that you want out. That's all you said in the beginning, that you wanted out, that you were going to head back-"

 

"And yet, here I am, ten plus years later, by your side, and Cas' side, doing the same fucking thing that I was back then," Sam snapped. He took a deep breath and picked the bottle up, putting it in front of Cas. "I've been broken Dean. I've been almost broken beyond repair more times than I want to count. So have you. We're still together, because we both know that there's no way we could be with a normal person again. We just couldn't do it, no matter what we tried."

 

Dean blew out a heavy breath. "You've got that fucking right, that's for sure!"

 

Sam stared at Dean for a long moment and blew out a breath. "So stop thinking I hold all of it against you."

 

"You do," Dean snapped.

 

Sam shook his head. "Maybe I did when everything was fresh, and I was so angry at what had happened to Jess, and with the whole apocalypse, but not anymore. I think, if anything else had happened, it wouldn't have ended like this."

 

"What, with you dying?"

 

Sam laughed. "No, with us managing to win. With the apocalypse ending. I don't think we could have done that if it weren't for everything that happened."

 

Dean glared at Sam and the bottle, that was now out of his reach. "It's not that easy, Sammy."

 

"But it is," Sam said, leaning forward in his seat. "Dean, it is that easy. I'm here because I want to be here. Because there is nowhere I would rather be than by your side, and Cas'. Because this bunker, being here with you, is home in a way that nothing else in my life ever has been."

 

Dean stared and then looked down at the table. He clenched his hand against the edge of the table before he sighed and leaned back into his chair. "Sam-"

 

"I get it," Sam said. "I get what Gabriel's trying to tell you."

 

Dean opened his eyes and stared at Sam, taking a deep breath. "You do?"

 

"Yeah," Sam said, forcing a smile to his face. "It's not easy. When everything is broken and shattered, you feel like you're never going to belong, ever again. And that's okay. Because then you find a spot that you do belong in. A spot that maybe you didn't expect."

 

Dean swallowed hard. That sounded all too familiar.

 

"It might not be what you had, what you originally thought you wanted. It might be none of those things, and if it isn't, that is certainly okay," Sam continued, staring at Dean, wanting him to understand. "But it's what you want, now. And that's what is the most important. That it's what you want."

 

"Sam..." Dean said, staring at the table.

 

"That's what Gabriel is trying to tell you. We aren't the archangels. We aren't heaven. And we aren't the home that he knew and loved for a very long period of time. And that's okay," Sam whispered, feeling Cas' hand drop to his knee and offer a slow squeeze. "Because we are what he wants now."

 

Dean pushed himself away from the table and headed for the door. "Thanks, Sam."

 

Sam watched Dean go and stared after him, a smile starting on his face. "Dean," he called.

 

Dean turned back around and raised an eyebrow.

 

"Jerk."

 

Dean laughed, his lips curling in a wide smile. "Bitch." His chest felt lighter when Sam echoed his laughter and turned back to his book, flipping a page in it. The sight was a familiar, wonderful one and he breathed out, some of the tension dissipating.

 

Now he needed to do this right. And to fix his fuck up. Gabriel was probably pretty pissed at him for summoning him and trapping him in the first place.

 

“Hey Cas,” Dean asked. He wanted to gag at the overly sappy look the angel was giving his brother, but managed to keep it down for the moment. Bright blue eyes snapped to his and Dean snorted. “I need your help, man. Can you tear yourself away from Sammy for a few hours?”

 

“Of course, Dean,” Castiel said, rising from his seat to stride over to him. “Whatever you need.”

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

 

That night found Dean in front of a summoning circle again. This time without the holy oil or fire. Hopefully this would appease Gabriel and not piss him off. He really didn’t need a pissed off archangel when he was trying to make amends. He looked up at Cas. “Is everything good to go?”

 

“Yes, Dean. I do not know how Gabriel will react to being summoned, though,” Castiel warned.

 

Dean took a deep breath and shrugged. “Nothing I can do about it now, so might as well go ahead and get it over with.”

 

“Would you like me to stay with you?”

 

Dean shook his head. “Nah, head back to Sam, I’m sure he’s missing you and the two of you can geek out over whatever he was finding in the library.”

 

Castiel disappeared a moment later and Dean knelt down next to the summoning circle. They’d summoned angels before, but the circle had never looked this intricate. Apparently archangels weren’t someone you summoned like this. Not surprising.

 

He pushed his fingers through his hair. He got it. Well, mostly got it. There was still some shit he needed answers to, but he got most of it. Especially after talking with Sam. So Gabriel had found some sort of home with him, with them? Fucking weird that Gabriel wanted to hang out with them and have a family, but not the weirdest thing that he had heard.

 

“All right, let’s get this done,” he muttered to himself and made a small slice along the palm of his hand, pressing it to the edge of the circle. A bright light flashed and Dean covered his eyes, since being blind would put a bit of a damper on their conversation.

 

“What, no holy fire this time? I’m insulted.”

 

Dean opened his eyes and stared at Gabriel. “No, no holy fire this time.” Gabriel was standing with his arms crossed. He shivered, because it wasn’t often that he got the impression that Gabriel was so much more than he really was, contained in that vessel of his. Now he could see it, see the shadows on the walls that were shifting and growing.

 

Dean took a deep breath. “Thanks,” he managed. One eyebrow was arched at him and Dean resisted the urge to curse Gabriel for making him say it, say all of it. Fucking bastard. But then, that was rather what we liked about Gabriel, so maybe he shouldn’t be swearing quite so much.

 

“Right. Thanks for saving my life from that werewolf,” he said. Gabriel’s face flickered with surprise for a second and Dean thought that maybe all wasn’t lost, and he just needed to tell Gabriel that he was starting to fucking get it. He was most of the way there, he just needed to get the rest of the way. And get answers to another question or two.

 

“Is that why you summoned me here?” Gabriel asked.

 

Dean shook his head. “No, well, fuck, yeah, but no. That isn’t the reason that I summoned you here.” He looked around their dungeon and paced a few steps. “Driving alone is boring. For some reason I can’t do without your bitching and shitty music,” he snorted and shook his head. “I could do without the candy wrappers all over the front seat you bastard.”

 

Gabriel didn’t say anything, only continued to stare at him and Dean took a deep breath, cursing quietly and pushing his hand through his hair. _Fuck_. Gabriel wasn’t going to make this easy for him. Not that he had expected it, but it was another thing to see it in practice.

 

“So look,” Dean explained. “I don’t do apple pie shit. I’m not Sam, or Cas. I don’t want a happily ever after. I’m never going to settle down forever.”

 

Gabriel’s other eyebrow joined in the first in a slow raise and Dean tried not to wince.

 

“But here’s the thing. I, well, I fucking liked having you around,” A surprised, mocking snort came from Gabriel, but Dean ignored it and tried to keep talking. “It makes me look better to have someone who is an actual asshole hanging around here.”

 

This time Gabriel let out a bark of laughter and Dean looked up at the Archangel again. Gabriel was smiling, still looking a little frustrated, but he would take that over what he had been only minutes ago.

 

Dean took another breath and stared at Gabriel. “But I still have a question for you. Or rather, I need you to explain something to me.”

 

“Well, you see Dean, when Mommy and Daddy love each other very much-”

 

Dean laughed and relaxed a little bit more. “You are an asshole.”

 

“Yeah, but you like that, you just admitted as much,” Gabriel pointed out, sauntering closer.

 

Dean shrugged and watched Gabriel as he approached, his golden eyes almost glowing in the lack of light. “I know about the chicks,” he blurted.

 

Gabriel froze, his entire body going still, no breathing, no nothing. Dean cursed himself for being that fucking stupid about it. “That’s the only thing I can’t figure out,” Dean added, unable to look away from the archangel.

 

Gabriel stuffed his hands into his pockets and hummed. “We’re genderless, right?”

 

Dean raised an eyebrow and nodded. He was pretty sure that Castiel had mentioned that at some point. It was weird, but whatever. He’d definitely heard of way weirder shit.

 

Gabriel shrugged. “I like being a dude, prefer this meatsuit over any other I’ve ever found. But, if I’m gonna get laid as a lady, I want someone who knows what they’re doing.” He raised an eyebrow at Dean and smirked. “You count.”

 

Dean blinked and then smirked. “Kinky fucker.”

 

Gabriel burst out laughing, rocking back on his heels. “You’ve got no idea Winchester,” he said as he sauntered past Dean and into the bunker. “Where’s Cassie, I haven’t seen him nearly enough this month, which means he’s staring longingly at your brother!”

 

 

 

 

~!~

 

 

 

 

Dean hauled ass around the corner, sprinting for where he had last seen Gabriel. The witch (and fucking hell he _hated_ witches!), had taken one look at Gabriel and had immediately spouted off a spell that had even Gabriel’s eyes widening in surprise.

 

“Sam!” Dean shouted, skidding to a halt in front of the attic door. He didn’t bother waiting and kicked it open. Gabriel was there, his eyes glowing bright gold, his entire body encased in a similar glow. “Gabriel!”

 

“Stay there!” The witch ordered, walking towards him. “I must thank you, Dean Winchester. Bringing the last of the archangels to me so I may feed off of him? I cannot express my gratitude. Perhaps I will make your death a quick one as thanks.”

 

“Fuck that!” Dean growled, throwing a hex bag they had made up earlier at her. It went off in a flash of light and a scream from her as he made his way over to Gabriel. He touched Gabriel’s leg and gave it a squeeze. “Gabriel, wake up, we gotta get you out of here.”

 

“No,” Gabriel said, his eyes lolling until they found Dean’s. “It’s Adamic magic, Dean. You have to get out. She’s going to force me to leave the vessel. I’m going to angel out for the first time in thousands of years, and she’s going to try to absorb my Grace. You have to get out.”

 

“I’m not leaving you!” Dean said, reaching up to grab the chains tying Gabriel to the wall. “We’ll figure out something-”

 

“There’s nothing!” Gabriel growled. “ _Nothing_! I am going to angel out, and there’s nowhere, no vessel for me to stay in!”

 

Dean grabbed another hex bag and threw it at the witch, the stench of burnt herbs filling the room. She screamed and he ducked under her swing at him, dancing around Gabriel. His mind was racing for a possible solution.

 

There was one thing. _One_ thing. It was a wild idea, but it would work. It _should_ work! “Use me!”

 

“What?” Gabriel managed to mumble, staring at Dean. He could already feel the magic pulling at him harder, more insistently.

 

“Me, use me! I’m an archangel’s vessel, right?” Dean said, looking at the way the glow around Gabriel was starting to increase. “Come on, we don’t have much time!”

 

“Dean, I can’t-”

 

Dean pulled on the chains harder. “Get in me already! We need to gank this bitch and figure the rest of the shit out later!”

 

A scream from the witch was enough to clue Dean in to the fact that Gabriel was doing something. Dean closed his eyes and offered up a quick prayer to Gabriel and Cas that they knew what they were doing.

 

Sam had survived this, he was going to survive it too. Dean took a deep breath and then all he could feel was heat. Warmth, heat and weight flooded into him. In an instant he could feel everything, he could feel Gabriel, the weight of him as he took him as a vessel.

 

Gabriel was huge in a way he didn’t have a comparison for, but then it was over and done. Dean could feel the true depth of the archangel, lifetimes, all passing in a single second and then everything was quiet.

 

 

~!~

 

 

He opened his eyes again and he was sitting on a dock, holding a fishing pole. He smiled and relaxed, casting out his line, even as he heard footsteps approaching him from behind. Dean took a deep breath and started to reel in his line slowly. “Am I dead?”

 

“Nah,” Gabriel said, stuffing his hand in his pockets. “It was too much for you. You curled up in a corner of your mind and hid here. I wanted to check on you.”

 

Dean raised an eyebrow at Gabriel. “Why do you care?”

 

“You saved me,” Gabriel said, his voice quiet. “You saved me by offering yourself up, Dean. Why?”

 

Dean shrugged. “You’re in my mind, my body. You know why.”

 

Gabriel sat down on the dock beside Dean. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear it from you.”

 

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes. “You just want me to say that I have a big gay romance love for you.”

 

“Yeah, maybe,” Gabriel admitted.

 

“All right, fine. I have a big gay romance love for your ass,” Dean said, casting his line again. “Don’t know if you’ll ever get me-me to admit it out loud. It’s easier here.”

 

Gabriel smiled and tilted his head up to look at Dean. “So can I start flirting with you in earnest?”

 

Dean snorted. “Actually, I want you in bed after all of your bragging.”

 

Gabriel burst out laughing and tangled his fingers in Dean’s shirt, pulling him in closer. “Sounds like a plan Dean-o. Sounds like a plan.”

 

The kiss was soft and slow and everything he had not expected from Gabriel, but when the angel pulled away from him, there was another question that he had to ask. “Gabriel?”

 

“Yes?” Gabriel asked, untangling his fingers from Dean’s shirt.

 

“What about you?”

 

Gabriel held out a fishing pole and cast his line, not far from Dean’s. “What about me?”

 

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes. “You know what I’m asking.”

 

Gabriel hummed thoughtfully. “Yes, I suppose I do know the question that you’re implying.”

 

“And?”

 

Gabriel looked over at Dean and considered his next response. “Did you do what I, what _Loki_ asked of you? Did you talk to Sam?”

 

“Yeah,” Dean said, looking back out and across the water. “Didn’t answer my question though. Helped me understand a bit.”

 

Gabriel suddenly sat up and looked up at the sky. “I’ll answer your question, but I’m not going to do it here. Sam and Cas found us. Since we’re both lying on the ground right now, and the witch dead from where I roasted her, they’re freaking out a bit.”

 

Gabriel disappeared before Dean had the chance to say anything else. He looked back out at the water and took a deep breath. Of course it would never be this easy. Nothing was ever this easy and he was so, so _tired_.

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

“How could you do this to him, Gabriel!?” Sam shouted, pacing along the side of the bed. Dean was laying in the center of the bed, barely breathing, with Gabriel kneeling by his side.

 

“I didn’t do anything to him. He was completely fine when I left!” Gabriel snapped, looking over his shoulder at Sam and then to Cas. He reached out and took Dean’s hand in his, giving it a slow squeeze.

 

“Then why is he like that, Gabriel?” Castiel asked, looking at the sight of Dean laying on the bed. “Why won’t he wake up? Why is the light of his soul fading?”

 

Gabriel spun around to glare at Cas, his eyes golden and furious. “He isn’t fading!”

 

Castiel stepped closer. “You aren’t blind Gabriel, you can see it, just as well as I can.”

 

Gabriel held onto Dean’s hand tighter, clenching his eyes shut. “I didn’t hurt him, I didn’t!” He pressed his head to Dean’s hand and focused his Grace on Dean. But there was nothing for him to heal. Dean was fading and he didn’t know why!

 

He pushed his Grace towards Dean’s mind and touched his soul again, just like he had before. The angry sounds of Castiel and Sam faded into the background. In an moment, he was standing at the same dock he’d been before, but Dean wasn’t there.

 

He frowned and walked closer. Dean’s soul had led him here, but it wasn’t here? Gabriel headed for the dock and sat down on the end, the same way he had before. The spot next to him was empty, but he could feel the small, residual touches of Dean’s presence.

 

“I was trying to avoid your question, but you knew that, didn’t you?” Gabriel asked the empty area around him. “Can’t blame me when it’s been a habit for the past few thousand years, can you?”

 

No response. Gabriel stared out at the water. Where was Dean? What was he waiting for?

 

“Dean?” Gabriel called, looking around again. He could feel Dean’s soul continuing to dim. “Didn’t think you were a quitter. Who is gonna look after Sam? The boy is fucking terrified. Angry at me too, but that’s nothing new.”

 

“Cas’ll look after Sam, now.”

 

Gabriel sat up straight, looking around. Dean’s voice had come from near to him, close enough to hear clearly. “You dumbass, Sam might love Cas, but he still needs you!”

 

A hint of self-hate and darkness sank into the happy image in front of him and the sight of the lake and dock wavered. Gabriel stood up and headed back towards the grassy hill. The image changed in a moment, shifting over to a sight he hadn’t seen in several millenia. _Hell_.

 

“Dean!” he shouted, looking around. The oppressive heat and darkness was enough to have his Grace itching under his skin, eager to burn this darkness out of Dean, to protect him from it.

 

But this was a part of Dean, a part of his past. A memory that haunted him, and remained a part of his life.

 

Gabriel walked through the hellscape, only to find himself approaching a demon at work. A demon, whose table was coated in blood, even though there was no victim for him to be torturing. Gabriel looked twice when no one else appeared and he realized who he was looking at.

 

“Dean,” he breathed, walking closer to the soul standing over the table. Not a demon as he had first thought. A tortured soul, Dean, that had turned on his fellow souls. Dean didn’t look at him, only stood over the table, a knife clenched in his hands.

 

Gabriel moved closer, until he was standing across the table. “So this is where you’ve disappeared and retreated to. This is why your soul is fading, piece by piece.”

 

Still no response. Gabriel moved around the table and reached out to touch the blackened soul, cupping the face, pulling him closer. It flinched away from him, tried to pull him away.

 

Gabriel reached out with his Grace, cupping the injured soul with him. “Do you think this matters to those who care about you? To Sam? To Castiel? To me?” he stressed.

 

The soul, Dean, attempted to move away again. Gabriel held him close. “We are all broken, Dean. Each of us. Why do you think Sam and Castiel found each other? Forgiveness and understanding.”

 

Dean made a sound, a small, broken one. Gabriel wrapped his wings around Dean, holding him close, squeezing him gently. “ _Dean_. Sam has forgiven you this. Castiel has forgiven you this. This is not who you are, never who you have been. It is a part of you, as Loki is a part of me.”

 

Another small noise, and Gabriel hugged Dean closer. “I have killed, Dean. I have killed those who deserve it, in cold, ruthless blood. I have tortured them, and I have made them beg for their lives. And I have enjoyed it.”

 

Dean stilled, and Gabriel kept talking. “I understand not feeling worthy, Dean. I understand feeling that there is a part of you that no one will ever accept, that you yourself cannot accept. What you must understand is that you are not the only one with this kind of burden.”

 

No response, again, and the scene around them melted. Gabriel took a deep breath, and looked around. Hell was no more, but now there was nothing but whiteness surrounding them. He could feel Dean again, growing steadily stronger. Here, Dean’s soul was strongest.

 

“Dean,” he called. “Sam needs you. Cas needs you.”

 

“And you, Gabriel?”

 

Gabriel turned around, looking for the voice of Dean. There was no sign of him anywhere. “What about me, Dean-o?”

 

“What do you want, Gabriel?”

 

Gabriel stared up at the white nothingness deep within Dean’s mind. “I haven’t allowed myself to want anything in a very, very long time, Dean.” And yet…

 

“I need to know what you want from me, Dean. You and I, we are not the type who will ask for what we want. We don’t believe we deserve it.”

 

“Never expected an angel to get it,” Dean said from behind Gabriel. “Thought you were all assholes.”

 

Gabriel smiled and turned to face Dean. “We are. However, some of us can learn. Myself included.”

 

Dean moved closer and stared at Gabriel, pushing his hands in his pockets. “Sam doesn’t need me if he has Cas.”

 

“If you believe that,” Gabriel said with a laugh, “I don’t believe you know your brother at all, Dean.” He reached out for Dean. “Or Castiel. They need you, sometimes desperately.”

 

“And you?” Dean asked, his voice quiet.

 

Gabriel stared at Dean. “I don’t need anything,” he answered honestly. He saw Dean flinch and stepped closer before Dean could pull away from him. “However, I want you to come back to us. I rather like pissing you off on a daily basis. Did I mention that you’re hot when you’re pissed at me?”

 

Dean laughed and for the first time, Gabriel had a front row view for how brightly Dean’s soul lit up at the statement. He was beautiful, and Gabriel reached out for him with his Grace and Dean’s soul opened up for him, pulling him closer, accepting the touch.

 

“Come back to us, Dean. To Cas, to Sam. To me,” Gabriel whispered, tugging on Dean’s soul. This time, Dean followed him, rising up from the depths where he had been hiding.

 

Gabriel opened his arms and stood up from the bedside, Sam and Cas looking up at him in surprise. He grinned at them both and looked back at the bed. Dean sat up and rubbed at his head.

 

“Dean!”

 

Gabriel watched Sam immediately throw himself at Dean and hug him tight. Dean’s soul lit up again and he smiled, settling into a seat that he snapped up for himself. “When you two are done with your loving reunion, I need to talk to Dean-o.”

 

Sam frowned and looked at Gabriel. “What’s wrong?”

 

Castiel cleared his throat. “I believe that Gabriel means to imply they will be having intercourse shortly and we should depart, Sam.”

 

Sam choked and stared at Cas and then at Dean. “What the fuck? When did that happen?”

 

Dean laughed and looked over to Gabriel, then back to Sam. “None of your damn business, but Cas isn’t wrong, so I’d appreciate it if you’d scram.” He could feel Gabriel’s golden eyes on him, glowing with Grace and desire.

 

Gabriel smirked and raised a wineglass that hadn’t been there a minute ago at Dean. Nope, Castiel definitely wasn’t wrong. “I do have some bragging to make good on, after all.”

 

Sam gagged and Dean laughed. Gabriel smirked at them both and winked at Castiel. “Go have date night, little bro. Dean and I have some catching up to do.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes there's an epilogue!!


	8. Chapter 8

 

Dean was patient. Well, he could be patient. He just didn’t like to be patient most of the time. But he waited until the next time Gabriel brought him to Germany, this time for the right reasons, and not because he wanted to destroy something.

 

This time when he saw Lola, he grinned and strode over to her immediately. “Okay, so you don’t have to tell me the story about Lola, but I want to know where you got this car.”

 

Gabriel chuckled and followed Dean towards his baby and tilted his head, looking at her. “Lola wasn’t her name. Her name was Lieke,” Gabriel said, closing his eyes for a moment. “Her name, when translated, means ‘god’s messenger’.”

 

Dean whistled, staring at Gabriel, at the way he looked older. Nothing about his face changed, but the lines around his eyes deepened, and when he opened them again, he saw sorrow there. “Gabriel?”

 

“She was the first human who...” Gabriel hesitated and trailed off, walking towards the car again, reaching out to trail his fingers over the chrome and paint. “Different gods have different rituals. Some like sacrifices, blood, pain, that sort of thing. I liked my sacrifices, liked them to bleed for me, just enough to bind and feed off of, but never enough to die.”

 

Gabriel walked around the car, slowly. “I could never feed off the power in death. It, even as a pagan, tasted wrong. Tainted. I thrived off of life, off of sacrifices of virtue, small tastes of the blood and power their souls offered. But my sacrifices walked away living - pariahs that would later become worshippers and priests and priestesses in their own right.”

 

Gabriel paused next to Dean and stared at the floor. “A...village known for their viciousness summoned me one day. They wanted my protection from another god. I was willing to give it to them. For a price,” he said, his grin wolfish. He glanced up at Dean and gave a quick eyebrow waggle. “I demanded the most beautiful virgin in the village be my sacrifice.”

 

“Sounds like you,” Dean said, bumping his shoulder into Gabriel, getting a smile out of the angel, if only for a quick moment.

 

“Very much so,” Gabriel agreed, looking at the far side of the wall. “However, when I appeared as summoned, she was kneeling on the altar, all her limbs bound and her eyes terrified. They told me her name was Lieke and they hoped that her blood would be worthy of me.” He paused and tapped his fingers against the car. “Then they slit her throat in front of me.”

 

Dean sucked in a hard breath. “Fuck,” he whispered.

 

“Yeah, that’s about the size of it,” Gabriel said with a chuckle. “I killed every single man in that village that night. Slaughtered them all. Without a second thought.”

 

“Heh, well, the fuckers deserved to die,” Dean said, looking at Gabriel. His face was still sober. “What happened next?”

 

“Hm?” Gabriel looked up at Dean.

 

Dean smiled. “It’s you, there’s a next. What happened next?”

 

Gabriel chuckled. “I brought her back. Healed her. Retrieved her soul. She was my first priestess. Thought of as a goddess in her own right.”

 

Dean grinned and smirked. “Fucking knew it, you big softy.” He punched Gabriel in the arm. “So why is the car named Lola?”

 

Gabriel straightened his back a little and stretched. “Because people know the name Lieke, and the story around her. If someone dug enough, asked enough questions, they could trace the money I bought this place with back to Norway. Too many possible connections.”

 

“You’re more paranoid than I am,” Dean said, admiration tinging his voice. He stretched as well. “Well, there’s only one solution for all this chick flick bullshit.”

 

Gabriel raised an eyebrow as Dean pushed off the hood and stripped off his shirt. “And that is?”

 

Dean opened the door to the back of the car and climbed in. Two seconds later, his shoes came flying out, followed quickly by socks and then jeans. “Snap a blanket in here, I don’t want my ass sticking to the seat!”

 

Gabriel laughed and obligingly snapped, watching as Dean’s boxers went flying as well and walked around to where the back seat door was open. He leaned against the doorframe and took a nice long look at Dean, sprawled out in the back seat of his car. “Trying to distract me?”

 

Dean smirked. "Sex is the best distraction, and believe me, I'd fucking know."

 

Gabriel laughed and licked his lips, letting his eyes trail down and over Dean's whole body. "I think you are the best sacrifice I have ever received-"

 

"And hopefully plan to fuck senseless, now get your ass in here and stop waxing romantic," Dean said, wrapping a hand around his dick and giving a slow pull. He smirked and closed his eyes, rocking his hips up and into it. "I thought we were going for a ride, and I had fucking plans for you."

 

Gabriel chuckled and stepped closer, snapping away his clothing a minute later. "Did you now?"

 

"Yes, and you're going to make that shit up to me right now," Dean snapped. "I was going to make you drive, give you road head, and then have you take me back here and fuck you against the hood of the car."

 

Gabriel's eyes glittered and he growled. "I can still arrange that."

 

"We'll get there, but I want you to get me ready like this," Dean shot back, smirking at Gabriel as he kept stroking himself.

 

Gabriel huffed and knelt down, trailing his fingers up and along Dean's thighs, admiring each and every single freckle as he spread Dean wider. "You are such a fucking bottom."

 

"Fuck off," Dean growled, glaring at Gabriel.

 

Gabriel laughed and leaned down to bite Dean's inner thigh, listening to the human gasp and immediately relax. "Can't deny the reactions there, snookums."

 

Dean laughed and reached down to grab Gabriel's hair, giving a hard yank, making Gabriel suck in a hard breath. "Not the only one who has tells. Now get going if you want to fuck me on the hood," he said.

 

Gabriel licked his way up to the crease of Dean's thigh, pressing a kiss to the head of his cock, snapping lube into his fingers. "I do like you all laid out for me like this. An offering for me to take and claim, make all my own."

 

Dean groaned and tightened his fingers in Gabriel's hair, tugging him harder. "Gabriel, hurry the fuck up,"

 

"So impatient," Gabriel purred, licking Dean's cock slowly from base to tip. He pressed a finger into Dean, giving him exactly what he wanted, watching as he arched and groaned. He would never get tired of seeing that particular reaction. It was truly beautiful.

 

Dean didn't bother trying to argue. He knew from experience that if he did try to argue, Gabriel would take torturous amounts of time to prove him wrong, the teasing fucker. "You like it."

 

Gabriel laughed and nodded, his eyes glittering up at Dean. "Indeed, I do. Almost as much as I like you getting demanding, even though you know you can't make me do anything."

 

Gabriel didn't bother waiting for Dean's response as he swallowed down Dean's cock, taking it all the way to the root and listening to the punched-out moan the human gave only a second later. He slid in a second finger before Dean had recovered and added a small tendril of Grace to keep the pain away from Dean and allow him to relax properly.

 

"Fuuuuck," Dean swore, rocking back on Gabriel's fingers as the archangel bobbed up and down over his dick. He never got tired of seeing Gabriel show off his lack of gag reflex. "Gabriel, come on, fuck!"

 

Gabriel pulled himself off with an obscene slurp and pressed a third finger into Dean, twisting them just enough to hit Dean's prostate, watching as he bucked and shouted under the touch. "You want to demand things, fine. I'll give you what you want."

 

Gabriel pressed his fingers deeper, rubbing the pads of his fingers over Dean's prostate, watching as the human shouted and writhed against the seats of his car. He could already see Dean's soul sinking into the car herself, parts of him left behind inside her like this. Gabriel swallowed and pulled his fingers out, almost all of the way.

 

Dean sat up to protest and Gabriel slammed them back in, unrelenting and Dean's back bowed off the blanket, a howl leaving him. Fuck, Dean was beautiful and he needed to take him. Needed it now. Gabriel yanked his fingers away and licked his lips, staring at Dean. "Hood, now," he ordered.

 

Dean scrambled out of the car a moment later, his legs jelly. He leaned against Lola, sucking in a few deep breaths. He wrapped a hand around the base of his dick and gave a slow squeeze, bringing himself back from the edge. Fuck Gabriel and his need to take everything he possibly could.

 

Gabriel was standing in front of the car, naked and glorious. Dean stopped in front of the hood and raised an eyebrow at Gabriel. "How do you want me?"

 

Gabriel licked his lips and smirked. "On your back. Legs spread, wrapped around my waist. I want to see you writhing and begging for me against the car."

 

"Fuck," Dean swore, his knees threatening to go out from under him as he settled his ass back against the cool metal. He let himself fall back settled himself on his elbows and gave Gabriel his best 'come hither' look. “Get over here then.”

 

Gabriel strode forward and lifted both of Dean's legs easily, helping him to wrap them around his waist. "You do make quite the pretty picture. Let's see if you look as good fucked out against this hood as I think you are going to."

 

Dean was about to make a comment, a damn good reply even, when Gabriel slid into him, all the way to the hilt in one go, making him choke on the words, arching against the metal behind him. " _Fuck_ ," he swore.

 

"Yes," Gabriel whispered, staring at Dean as his eyes darkened even more. The emerald color was obscured almost entirely by pupil, making him smirk as he pulled out, only to shove back in again, nice and deep, to see Dean make that exact same arch and moan.

 

"Fuck, come on, don't tease!" Dean growled, tightening his legs around Gabriel's hips, pulling him in closer. "Get moving!"

 

Gabriel dropped his hands to Dean's hips and pressed a kiss to his sternum. "Your wish is mine, babe," he whispered.

 

"Don't call me-ahhhhhh!" Dean moaned, his head falling back to hit the metal as Gabriel's dick slid right over his prostate. "Don't fucking care what you call me, do that again."

 

"Knew you'd come around to my thinking," Gabriel said, snapping his hips into Dean, short, hard thrusts, giving the human exactly what he wanted.

 

Dean panted and scrambled for purchase against the metal that was rapidly warming with his skin, but the only thing he could do was hang on to Gabriel with his legs and let the angel fuck him. "Gabriel, please, fuck,"

 

Gabriel smirked and licked his lips, bending Dean's legs up as he started to fuck him in earnest. "Do you know how good you look against my car, Dean? I bet you do. Bet you've fucked plenty of women against the hood like this, watched them with their hair splayed back against the black of the impala..."

 

Dean couldn't keep in the loud moan that escaped him. He shuddered and slammed his eyes shut, rocking his hips back, sweat sliding off of him in small droplets, hitting the metal and making everything slick and hotter. "Gabriel, dammit, stop talking and fuck me!" he demanded.

 

"I thought that's exactly what I was doing," Gabriel said, punctuating the last word with a hard thrust into Dean. The human gave another shout when Gabriel ground in, nice and deep, rubbing directly against Dean's prostate again. "But I think you know exactly what I'm talking about."

 

Gabriel shifted himself and wrapped a hand around Dean's dick, giving a slow stroke. "How wet you are, tells you that I'm right. Fuck, I'd bet money you've thought about fucking me against the impala, haven't you?"

 

A heavy droplet of precome escaped Dean's dick and Gabriel's smirk deepened. "Yeah, yeah, you have. Thought so. Good thing I'm more than willing to oblige."

 

"Gabriel," Dean growled, reaching out for the archangel, his fingers finding Gabriel's hair and pulling again, nice and hard. Gabriel's next thrust into him was a little less coordinated and Dean pulled again.

 

Gabriel laughed and wrapped a hand around Dean's dick, stroke him in earnest, watching as Dean's pants got louder, his chest heaving as he tried to suck in air. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll give it to you, just like you want, I promise."

 

Gabriel shifted the angle just enough so he would be hitting Dean's prostate with every thrust and started a brutal pace. Dean cried out under him, his entire body arching and tensing again and he could feel Dean's cock swelling in his hand, ready to come.

 

He shifted his hand and squeezed the base, keeping Dean from coming, watching as the human thrashed, no longer above begging for what he wanted, what he _needed_. Gabriel smirked and watched Dean.

 

"Gabriel, fuck. Gabriel please, let me come, need to fucking come, please!" Dean shouted, reaching for his dick, only for his arm to be pinned back to the metal by some invisible force, by Grace. That was even hotter, and Dean shuddered as Gabriel slammed into him again and again. "Please, Gabriel, please!"

 

"There's my beautiful human," Gabriel whispered, taking a moment to stare at Dean before he began stroking him all over again. This time around, he didn't try to stop Dean from coming as he shouted, back bowing completely off the metal as they slammed together.

 

Gabriel milked him through his orgasm, shoving into Dean twice more before he reached his own completion, shuddering as he emptied himself into the human. He blinked, bringing himself back to his vessel and stared at Dean, or rather, at the fucked out mess, panting on the hood of his car. “Good?”

 

Dean raised his hand in a thumbs up. “We’re doing this on my car.”

 

Gabriel burst out laughing and rested his forehead against Dean’s sternum. “You have a kink.”

 

“And you don’t?” Dean shot back, tugging on Gabriel’s hair.

 

Gabriel purred and closed his eyes happily. “I am the kinkiest snowflake in the garrison.” The comment was worth it for the way Dean’s chest shook with laughter underneath him.

 

Not perfect. Either of them. But together? They were pretty fucking awesome.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Criticisms welcome!
> 
> You can find me here: 
> 
> [Aria-Lerendeair ](http://aria-lerendeair.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can also watch me write fics like this (and dozens of others) live! Follow me on Livestream for fics, shenanigans and a general all-around awesome time! http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7212317


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